With help of @schepys_coins , him and I are starting to develop ways we can promote the hobby. What I would like to focus on is the idea of history through numismatics. I personally believe that for a person to find interest in something, they must already somehow be drawn to it. New comers don't find interest in the grades or mintage or price guides. But what fascinates all people is the basic story of that coin. The who, what, when, where and why. Not the grade, price, mintage, pop report and auction estimate. I strongly consider that new collectors are nudged towards the latter way too quickly. Don't get me wrong, all those things are good, but should not be the heart and soul of our pastime In my school we have about 6-8 collectors that I know of, including myself (4 of which are on CT). We don't have a formalized club or anything, but I feel like we are building a small group within our school. That to me, brings satisfaction. In whatever way I can build this hobby, whether it is in my school or online, I want to do my best to do my part. Bottom line- To further grow our hobby, for the young and old, we must look past the prices guides, the population reports, the grade, the dealer, and look at the coin itself, the idea, the artistry and most importantly, the story. Thanks for reading -Mike
Good luck. I like the idea. I think people join this hobby for a variety of reasons. IMO, no one joins for exactly the same reason. I enjoy history and after participating in this hobby, I've found that as an added bonus to collecting. I started collecting because I thought the coins "looked cool". I also thought it was a hobby in which you can store wealth. Not an investment, but a hobby where you have assets you can liquidate when you decide to stop.
This is a great idea. The date on the coin always links it to some historical event or events for me. For example, it has always interested me that my 1942 half dollar was released during WWII or my 1929 dime was around during the Great Depression. A 1969 quarter released during the year of the moon landing is more meaningful to me than a commemorative coin issued years later. Of course 1964 is such a great numismatic year since it was the last year of the 90% silver business strikes. Glad you are enjoying hot hobby in a meaningful way. TC
Don't think that new collectors can't be drawn to grades.... I love the shiny MS65 and above coins, and that is a real bugaboo to get right in grading. Perhaps learning to grade accurately for MS60-70 can stir some joy for others too, in coin-collecting.
That leaves 3-5 anonymous coin collectors. Perhaps the first order of business is to stress how helpful it can be to get their feet wet on CT.
I agree completely. Unfortunately I find that most newbies coming into the hobby do so with dollar $ign$ in their eyes. And unfortunately a great many of the posts on this site and others just reinforce the monetary return idea. 44 posts to go
None of my coins from the 1800's are uncirculated. That's one of the reasons I enjoy them. When I hold one in my hand I wonder how many hands touched this, what did they buy, etc.. Especially lower denominations.
